Tag Archives: Politics

Voting

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votingWhen I was young, I was an avid voter. I was raised with the notion that being a good citizen was part of being a Christian. (don’t know that I was told that, but that was the message I heard)

At school, we were instructed in the political process and our role in that process. Through my high school government teacher, I even got to participate in the county political convention for one of the parties when I was a senior in high school.

During the years I was in Argentina, I didn’t vote. It wasn’t impossible, but it certainly wasn’t simple, especially because I lived a long way away from the U.S. embassy. (9-10 hours by bus, which is how I would have travelled)

When I returned to the United States, I began to be confronted with different views on Christians and politics. I came to realize that there wasn’t unanimity on the question throughout Christendom or even within churches of Christ. The more I studied the less comfortable I became with participating in the political process.

In recent years, I’ve come to feel that Christians shouldn’t align themselves with any one nation here on this earth. We are strangers and aliens, ambassadors from another kingdom. Just as I lived as an alien in Argentina, I believe that I should live as an alien in Texas.

At the same time, I believe that we have a responsibility to be informed about the issues of the day and willing to speak out on them; not to support any one candidate or party, but to support certain principles and ideals. I also believe that we should be working actively for the good of the city where we find ourselves; because of that I have begun to vote in non-national political contests and on referendums that affect my local community.

That’s been my journey, in brief. I don’t know that I’ve reached a final position on these questions. But that’s where I am today.

To vote or not to vote

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votingI’ve made some changes in my views on voting over the last few years. I’ve gone from pro-voting to anti-voting to my current in-between stance. I want to review some of my reasoning in upcoming posts, but I’d like to hear your thoughts:

  • Do you plan to vote?
  • If so, do you plan to vote on all issues and candidates? If you only plan to vote on some things, how will you pick and choose?
  • How does your Christian faith affect your decision as to whether or not to vote?
  • If you are a voter, how does your faith affect how you vote?

And don’t limit yourself to those questions. I’d rather not discuss particular candidates at this point, but I’d like to hear anything you’d like to share on voting in general. Thanks!

Do you disagree?

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Overlapping viewsYou should probably disagree on something. Something pretty big. Something of substance.

If you identify yourself with a certain political party, be it the Whigs or the Tories or the Green Party, there should be something that clashes with your Christian worldview.

If not, then it’s quite possible that your political views are shaping your views of Christianity more than your Christianity is shaping your politics.

Speaking out against injustice

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In preparation for a discussion on immigration, I’m trying to get a feel for how the church has done when it comes to speaking with a prophetic voice on social issues. That is, how well we’ve done at speaking to issues from a Christian standpoint.

I’m thinking of a number of things that over time society has come to recognize as wrong. I’m wondering how well the church has done in speaking out on these issues before the general society did so. A good example today is abortion. The church, to a large degree, has identified this moral outrage as something that needs to be corrected. What about other issues?

Here are some issues that come to mind. Beyond the actions of specific individuals, do you think the church in this country was ahead of society or behind society in speaking out?

  • The genocide of the native population
  • The breaking of treaties with the native population
  • Slavery
  • Imperialistic wars/The taking of foreign lands by force (I’m thinking Mexican-American and Spanish-American Wars specifically; you might know of other such conflicts)
  • Child labor
  • The internment of Asian families during WWII
  • Jim Crow laws/racism

Christians often speak of following the laws of the land unless they conflict with God’s laws. Yet few of us can point to an example of anyone who has actually fallen into “civil disobedience” because of religious convictions. Some of the above might have called for such reactions, so I’d love to hear of examples.

Can you think of examples of how the church took a stand against the above injustices?

Politics continue to hurt the church

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political BibleI wanted to comment on one of the articles I didn’t include in today’s links. The article is called “The Future of Faith.” Diane Butler Bass looks at the future of Christianity and notes two cultural forces that are shaping religion in the United States: the increased number of religiously unaffiliated people and the growing religious pluralism in this country.

Then she says

The first group, the unaffiliated, is largely uninterested in conventional religion, embracing humanism, non-specific forms of spirituality, or post-institutional forms of community. Their concern with old-fashioned religious questions is waning, as is their commitment to religious structures of the past. They are, by all reports, angry at the admixture of religion and politics that has roiled American life over the last three decades, and prefer more inclusive, less dogmatic but more pragmatic politics.

Why yes, I did fell like yelling “Amen, Sistah.”

Note that this is the opinion of one who studies social research, so it should be taken as that. Educated opinion, but opinion none the less. But it’s opinion I highly agree with. The church is damaging itself through political activity. The more we point that out, the more political people become.

There’s an article in the links today on pastors’ views of global warming. In the article, Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, says, “Pastor opinions on global warming reflect their own political beliefs.”

What? You mean Republican pastors doubt global warming and Democratic pastors believe in it? Can’t be. Ministers’ views aren’t shaped by political parties but by religious conviction. Aren’t they?

I guess the comfort in all of this is the hope that as the church dwindles, maybe the political party she chooses to give her strength to will gain in power. That’s what matters, right?

I’ll end with one more quote from today’s links, by Stephen Mattson. In his article on what’s wrong with American Christianity, Mattson notes

Power-hungry Christians view their faith as a battle, a series of wins and losses. Control and influence is valued above all else, and Christianity’s success is measured by research, statistics, attendance and the success of church-supported laws at the state and federal level. Success is hardly gauged by the fruits of the Spirit or by how well we’re following Christ’s example.
A thirst for power results in Christians who prefer political might over spiritual strength, legal enforcement over personal choice, conscription over evangelism, punishment over grace, fear over hope, and control over love. In extreme cases, even violence and aggression is viewed as a necessary means of gaining power.